I originally posted this in 2008, when my now college freshman son was just seven-years-old. Just reading it brings back the image…and the stress of getting a delightful, curious child anywhere! And reminders about intercultural appreciation are always good. And talk about greeting every new day as a gift! Short Film: The Walk to the…
Your High Schooler just announced they are vegan. Your sister’s bringing her new S/O…who is Vegan. Don’t panic! It’s easier than you think to make your Thanksgiving vegan inclusive. Just start with the side dishes #VeganThanksgiving
Expectations for customer service around the globe are different. I can remember walking unacknowledged into a busy restaurant in Greece only to leave because we didn’t get how it worked (and told later by someone from Greece we should have just barged in and found ourselves a table). Not only do practices vary by culture, but even…
The back of my business card says “Is your message getting lost in translation from English to English?” Sometimes that can mean cultural differences but more often it has to do with areas of expertise or your industry…as in “I speak Engineer.” In this case I was co-writing a blog post with a client who…
My son and I were driving through downtown Park Ridge, past the familiar marquis of the Pickwick Theatre, when he said “What the heck!…That’s new.” “English Only Please” was written at the very top. “Is that a new policy?” he pondered? “It’s probably a foreign film,” I said confidently, which a brief Internet search upon…
Whenever I teach yoga I always leave feeling taller and calmer, standing proud with beautiful posture, thinking only positive thoughts about the world and all of its people. “You must be in a hurry,” I smile at the person cutting me off on my drive home. “Go ahead.” Have you ever wondered, “Hmmm…what if everyone…
I sent an invitation to a former colleague the other day to invite him to attend an upcoming workshop as my guest. “Hello old friend,” he responded. And, I thought, how nice that he thinks of me so fondly. Until about an hour later when I thought, “Hey, wait a minute, what does he mean…
As we prepared for our son’s Bar Mitzvah last month, we began to get questions such as “What should I wear?” “What do I need to do?” Half of our family is not Jewish, and the half that is Jewish came from a Reformed tradition, but by geography and a Rabbi we liked, we ended…
Good morning! On today’s episode of “The Pretend Jew,” our heroine waivers on hosting the Hanukkah open house in her home because her Christmas tree is still up. And who doesn’t love her confused expression every time she’s in synagogue (she doesn’t speak Hebrew!) and has no idea when to sit down! And here’s your…
When I first saw the Duncan Hines Hip Hop Cup Cake ad last month, I first wondered why advertisers would make food geared to kids so creepy (a la the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cannibal ads); and that the icing would never work…the microwave would make it too gooey or too hot to be practical. As…
